Ring holding apparatus



AUl

Peteeiedllee- 11.1536

which when' in use will'exerta uniformA outward radial pressure "upon `the cylinder4 vva11,r. i t.has been proposed to expandhthe split circular, 1-ing pplicaton of un1forrnrad 1al pressures nd f to" expose thetring to. helactionwof A h "sfet the material the` ring fin its@exi fpahded form.. Itfhas also? beencproposedito mount a plurality offsuch rings f in stacktforma. i fm" tiori` upon af commonE expandingfgdevice and 4to heat thestack of expanded rings With-'ya Weight nftbpiofxihe. saqksoiaslmkeepthsfrags in lane alignmentvqithout restraining tl iei r,free` dom of radial expansion or contraction. Y

Where' Piston@ Similar miss are req hea'td to a temperature atvvhichiyt eyyare lates buckle "and/on the` bolt be`comes perma..` entiy` elongated under the! expansion of fthef heated rings vso that .the clamping pre ssifirebe,`

. damage or distortion `in removing them from1the lquenching*operation. i n i `.ilc'jcmding to uns` invention` piston f rings `35` `whetherfmade to the selected curve,' as"de iined `frmethod.thereindescribed, or byf hammeringfor z casting or byform-turning tothe shape Vof the y M selected curve or by any 'other method'ofmanu- 40 facture, are subj"ected-. tofanaitially applied pressureiwhich is adjustable eitherfatlwillorautomatically'atany stage of tlie hardeningorfheat @forming process." The `degree@off`p i'e ss1` 11,je`j will `Z 1`besuch as to prohibit `distortioxibij the rings out of` their own. plane` 'and "to `preven relative "movement betweenthelh "ndffthe, clamping" f means 4throughout the said proce s s,j r thefpres-L sure `can be such that theyarefreetto expand" Q50 i The" proved clam ing meanslfeinployeds ,ofthe furnace or heating` bath ia which the "5t rings z are. undergoing neat treatmen; i

g *In the accompanying drawing`, Figure 1 lis 'an longitudinal sectional view. `oi.' a form of clamping device fori` use in- `carrying out the present in venti on i 60 l Figure? is an end view. of the same.

srewfthr bearnse. Aberd.V Y v f LA preferably :helical compression spring (1 provided-Segesta alloy, or compens ate, for

redit-o n einer@ er. less' iilastiasjtaaas. fer-@Kmme here therngsfarfe .heat treated fcrhajrdnie uridses. it streit-assetato avoidfdamageft 0.1' distortionoff the?. ringsxiwhilst permittingjgthemg 0 freely .eipend andl ccntract fin a-@radilalasdire "cdrnes` relaxed@ andi11 consequence the i rings. `beingho longer.-firmlylyclampedyare Aliabler to furnace or4 heating-` bath and` in the subsequent 3- mmy prior Britisnratent No. 135,249,1bythe 1 hm-termed in that the pressure exertedthreby onthe rings can be .adjusted from the outside risers;

' "Figures 3 andfare,similarlviewsrespectively `of a` modified construction. i i

t, f As shown in Figures 1 and theiniproyed clamping Ydevice may` comprisesa,` pair` of co-ax- 1 iallyarranged.` p1 tesa,-;,bfthe forinerjpf which 5 `a central, i spindle i-,c projecting; through .a.

o-axialtubular member 1 d on theplate,b. 'The-i saidgspindle and ,tubularg zner'xiber.` may be of such length .esiixv'rotrude romithe .furnaceor 6;. 1 heatingbath` (not s hownlg-adistance sumcient 10 `to enable themvto .besafelyhandled The ringsi, La are arrangedf as-Xshown.' betweemthe plates i 1 rand b and' Aare subjected thereby to `an :axially *applied blessure-by meansjofa n utj4 on; the end Ao f thespindle c taking `a 15v the end `of the Vtubi'ilar mein@` axial expansiomor contraction of the rings .with- 20 out materially` alterin; ftheipressure; u guard thisyspring fromj being destroyed :orA 'i in`` 'jareditxii-the` heater tne-fumacefcr zneatgbath; u said spring gwillbeiiocatedgnearftheifrecgend of :thel central spindle c.- at such i distance from 25 the Afurnace .o1-5 1 heat-bath; atto'` be outside of,.

l or beyond- 'theactive heatf z'one thereof :at i such point .as not tobe 'injuriouslyaffectedi `by the `wheat'. said-spndle.. c is along handling spindle whch'protrudesiromwthe furnace or heat bath 30 forsuch distance that its `outer end .portion is locatedbeyond the active Vheat' zone of said furnaceorbath at such point, as not to bermaterially aiiected` by the heat andi-so "that` itgmay y `be safely. grasped andhandledlwiththefbare 3 5 i spring gfat this outer ehdl-)Drtion `will` so locate f it as to betremote from the heat zone so as not i te beladve'rsely affected thereby.A Preferably the I'spring y. `will be disposedg aboutthe outeror 40 4freelend portionofthe spindlec and interposed between the outerface of J the? `tubular memberv diana the inneriaceofith'e nut :for a washer slidable ont the ,spindle a.l and .'.izieariiig` against `.the nut-f,-,andgsaiduspring `g a presses, lorA is' 45.

. vadapted `to press, in Yoppositedirections .against thejlouter end of -atubular member and the i i innerface of the saidwasheror the nut J" to exertaapressurel acting through the spindleic y. andpthe Atubular memberrd in opposite `directions 50'` and tending to force the-plates a and b toward eachother to clampwbetween them the intervening coaxiasl'series` oflrings e.`

As. will be .readily understood',A

the springfg, and the force exerted thereby, can 55 be `quickly and` easilyV adjusted, either before starting theheat treatment ofjthe series of coaxialrings, orafter the heat treatment thereof hasbcenistarted-and while* 'the same remain in the furnace or heat bath, by simply turninglw the pressure of 1- the nu't'f Vvrelatively to the spindle c in the'proper crease 4or decrease .the pressure.

'direction according asit may be desired to vin- In'stead of screwthreading the end vof the spindle to receive! a, nut itcan besslotted to receivea taper cottarf which will V`abut against 'f' vthe end of the tubeV and can be driven further 'home to take up any slackness that may develop in the clamping device as the result of axial contraction or expansion of theringsfWhere Y the rings arebeing heat-formed to -thefselected;A

curvev aforesaid the plate bmay be formed with an open ended radial slot ht'olaccommo'datethe introduction between the splitV ends of the rings of a gap-spacing strip i.

In theV alternative construction of clamping l device shown iniFigures 3 and 4; the plate b may be tted with a pluralityof bars 1c lparallel with the central spindle c attached to the plate a, the

free Vends of said barsVv being connected to or abutting 'against a cross-head l Asliding on -the Y outer end ofthe said spindle andsubject to the VKaction of'a1nut'..or, asshown, of a cottar -m at the freeend ofthe latter bearing either directly against the'cross-head or indirectly through'the medium of loosek collar n and .a compression Spring y.

r`By lmeans of this invention` risk of r'distortion of and damage to the-rings at all stages ofV4 the z hardening or heat-formingprocess is eliminated, and in such a mannerV thatv the ringsare at all t times free `to' expand and contract Ain .a radial direction. f

` 1. Apparatus for keeping metall rings in plane alignment' Whilst undergoing heat treatmenting-cluding anyfsubseduent quenching "handling, saidapparatuscomprising a pair'of co-axially arranged clamping plates having opposed faces adapted to. receive between -them`r the rings in co-.axial'series means formaintaining said rings 'posed yielding pressure exerting v in co-axial relationship and means'forconnectplates to hold them in operative clamping relationship, said'meansincluding an intermeans to com'- pensate for expansion and contraction in an axial direction incident to such'tieatment' 2. Apparatus for. keeping metal 'rings in plane alignment while undergoing heat treatment and comprising apair of co-axially arranged'clamp-` ing plates adapted toreceive the rings in coaxial series therebetween, ink combination with means for clamping the respective plates against ,the end faces ofthe respective end rings of said co-axialrseries of rings, said meanscomprising a relatively Along element extending outside of the heat' treating apparatus and beyond'the active heat zone'thereof, a Apart .associated with said element, aspring'associated with said element and part beyond'said" active heat -zone Iand. adapted to exert pressure tending toV force said clamping plates toward each other, and means for varyingthe degree of*A pressure exerted by said springduring the course of a heat treatment tomodify the pressure exerted thereby on said plates and said intervening series of rings While Vthe latter are undergoing heat treatment.

3. Apparatus for keeping metal rings in plane alignment whileundergoingheat treatment and ycomprising a-pair of co-'axially arranged clampingplates Yadapted to receive the rings in coe axial series between. them,v in combination-with means for clamping the respective platesagainst Y the 4end faces of Vthe lrespective end rings of said 76 co-'axial series of rings, said means comprising a 'to such point astorelatively long element extending outside of the heat treating apparatus and beyond the active `heat zone-thereof, a part associated with said element, and a spring cooperating with said element and part at a point beyond said active heat "zone and adapted to exert pressure tending to force said clamping plates toward .each other.

f 4. ApparatusY for keeping metal rings in plane alignment while undergoing heat treatment and comprising a pair of co-axially arranged clamping plates adapted to receive the rings in co-axial series between them, in combination with means forclamping the respective plates against the respective Vend rings of said co-axial series of rings, said means comprising a long spindle connected to one of said plates and freely slidably extending through the other plate and being of such length as to extend outside of the heat treating apparatus and beyond the 'active heat zone /thereoffan element adapted to exert with its inner end portion a thrust-against rsaid other plate andhaving'its outer end portic oated beyond said v'active heat zone and closelyijacent 'tosa'id spindle," andfresilient means located be- -yond said active heat zone and acting to force A'said spindle andgsa'idfelement in opposite directions to force 'said plates toward each other.

' 5. Apparatus for keeping metal rings in plane alignment whilelundergoing'heat treatment and comprising a' pairl of coaxially arranged clamping plates adapted to receive the rings in'co-axial series between them, incombination with means -forclamping the',-respective plates against the 1 respective end rings of Vsaid'co-axiai'*series of rings, said means comprising along spindle connected 'to one of said plates andfreely Vslidably extending through the other plate and being of 's'uch. length as to vextend outside of the heat treating apparatusand beyond the active heat zone lthereof, a tubular member disposed about said spindle and adapted to engage with'its A -innerend the-outer face of said other plate, saidYV tubular member extending lengthwise of rsaid spindle vto such point as to have its outer end located beyond said active heat zone, and a spring located beyond said active'heat zone and exerting `force tending to force `said spindle and said tubular member in opposite directions.

6. Apparatus for keeping metal rings in plane Aalignment while undergoing -heat treatment and comprising a pair of co-axiallyvarranged clamp#- -ing plates `adapted to receive the rings in coaxial series between them, in combination with -means for clamping the respective plates against beyond said active disposed about the Vspindle with its inner end in engagement with the opposed outer end of said tubular member and normally under compression, and means engaging said spindle and forming an abutment for the outer end of said spring and adjustable axially of said spindle to vary the degree of compression of said spring.

WILLIAM ARTHUR OUBRIDGE. 

